TONGA'S domestic air service is currently operating solely by Airline Tonga, which is a Fiji Air-Teta Tours joint venture.

The Peau Vava'u Airways, which suspended its domestic air service after the November 16 riots of last year, remains grounded.

Tonga's Minister of Transport, Hon. Paul Karalus, told representatives from the Nuku'alofa Tourism Industry on November 24, 2006 that Peau Vava'u had suspended its domestic air services indefinitely.

The Peau Vava'u's office located at the old Tonga Electric Power Board building in Nuku'alofa has been closed down and workers have been told to go home.

Meanwhile, Airline Tonga has introduced to its domestic services a new international service directly from Nadi to Vava'u twice a week. Frank Wilson a supervisor at Airline Tonga said today, that they started their new Nadi-Vava'u service three weeks ago with flights on Monday and Thursdays.

The airline is using a 50-seater aircraft charted from Air Chatham for the new service. Frank said they are still providing their normal schedules of four flights daily to Vava'u, and two flights daily to Ha'apai, except Sundays. The airline is also flying two flights daily to 'Eua, excepting Tuesdays and Sundays. Frank said that for the domestic services they are currently using two aircrafts consisting of one 15 seater and the other a 17 seater aircraft.